Rotary electric shaver



*April 9, 1940.

H. W. SHRYOCK ROTARY ELECTRIC SHAVER Filed July 15, 1938 HARRY w. SHRYQQK :inventor (Ittorneg .Panarea Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED "s'lMlrsv "PATENT oFF-lcs ROTARY ELECTRIC suaviza ns1-ry w. shi-yuck, Nol-supers, wasn. Application July i5, 19s, serial No. 219,389

, 2 Claims.' (Cl. :4o-43) My present invention relates to an improved' rotary electric shaver or hand controlled shaving implement or the motor-operated type that is used for' shaving purposes. The primary object of the invention is the provision of a shaving iml5 purposes.`

'I'he simplified working parts of the instrument include a detachable face plate havingfa guard provided with shearing slots, with which the detachable rotary cutter co-acts; and the rotary' 2'0 cutter is fashioned with a spiral or longitudinally curved groove having a continuous shearing edge that co-operatesvwith the shearing edges of the grooves in the guard portion o! the face plate to clip or nip the hairs. v

Means are provided in the form of a receptacle for collecting the material or shavings, and means are provided whereby the collected debris may with facility be expelled or withdrawn from the receptacle. An auxiliary lamp is alsof mounted on the implement' or instrument for illuminating purposes during the operation of shaving.

'I'he invention consists essentially in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts in the motor-operated instrument'that involve a head having arecess and a detachable slotted face-plate closing the recess and forming a workling chamber for la tubular or hollow 'rotary cutter having a continuous shearing edge for co-action with the slotted face plate, as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus rar devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the instrument embodying my invention..

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view ofthe instrument, showing the operating motor, the.

transmission gearing', and the rotary cutter-and accessories. t t

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 3-3 or Figure 2, at the front or head of the u instrumentmwmg the tubular or www romy cutter and the face pla'te or guard, together with the auxiliary lamp.

Figure 4 is an exterior face view of the tubular cutter.

Figure 5 is a face view of the slotted guard- 5 portion -of the face plate. A

In carrying out my invention I employ aI body of suitable shape, size, and material adapted to be held in the hand, and manipulated for shaving purposes, and this body comprises a motor casing 10 I and the front portion or head 2 of the body within the motor casing is mounted the electricv motor including the stationary ileld or windings 3 and the rotary armature l-.having itsshaft 5v Journaled in spaced and alined bearings 8 and 'I 15 centrally mounted in the body of the instrument. The communtator ring 8 and brushes 9 are lo'-l cated at the iront of the motor, and the cable Ill is connected at terminals II and -I2 within a housing I3 at the rear of the instrument, the 20 proper connections from the terminals being made to the operating parts of the motor. The power transmission `gearing from the motor Vis operated through the shaft 5 which is equipped with a' bevel pinion I4 which meshes 25 with a complementary bevel pinion IB on the angularly disposed countershaft I6 that is journaled transversely of the motor in the head portion Zof the instrument. The countershaft I6 has mounted thereon an operating pinionl I1 30 that meshes with an idle'r I8 for transmission of power to the rotary cutter as will be described.

The head 2 of the, instrument is fashioned with a semi-circular mouth` or recess I9 that extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the motor, 35 and the semi-circular wall of this recess terminates in a pair of lateral, spaced end-lips or ange's 20, 20 which assist iii-retaining the rotary cutter against longitudinal displacement. A

The rotary cutter 2l, which -is mounted in the 40 recessat the front of the head, as best seen in Figure 4 is a tubular cylinder that is fashioned with a single spiral groove, or longitudinally vcurved groove 22, extending from end to end of the tube or cylinder, and the tubular cutter is 45 fashioned in suitablev manner from high-grade sheet steel that is hard and also resilient.

In the open 'ends of the tubular cutter are mounted and ilxed heads 23 and 24, each having bearing ilanges or rings 25, and one of these 50 heads, as 24 is'iashioned with an exterior gear ring 26 with which the ilder I8 of the transmission gearing meshes.

' -The single spiral .groove 22 of the rotary cutter permits a slight'longitudinal compression of the 55 j tubular cutter so that may be inserted in the recess of the head between the two lips 20, 20, and the walls of the groove have sharp shearing edges which co-act with complementary shearing edges of the detachable shearing plate or face plate 21, which together with the recess in the head form the working chamber for the rotarv cutter.

The detachable face plate 2l, which is of general U-shape in cross section, is also fashioned of high-grade hard and resilient-steel that permits spreading of the two wings of the plate in order thatthey may be snapped over the head of the instrument to form the working -chamber of the recessed head, and the two sets of lips 20-21 at opposite ends of the working chamber co-operate with the annular heads or flanges of the cutter to retain its parts in working position, and to provide the bearings for the rotary cutter.

For ready attachment and detachment, the face plate is fashioned with two opposed pinholes 2S, andfor complementary use with these holes, the head 2 of the .instrument is provided with two oppositely projecting, exterior pins 29 that slip into the holes when the face plate is slightly spread so that the holes may be slipped over the pins, and in this manner the faceplate is held in rigid position in front of the recess of the instrument head. By rst lifting the 'top Wing of the face-plate in Figure 3, to release it from the pin 29, the plate will thereby be loosened so that the lower wing may be detached from its pin, and the resiliency or elasticity that permitsV this detachment afterward restores the face plate to its normal shape.

At the bend 30 of the U-.shaped face-plate a guard is formed that conforms to the shape of the tubular cylindrical cutter, and the latter rotates, under power from the motor, in close frictional contact with the inner face of the guard. As best seen in Figure 5 the guard por- -tion 30 of the face-plate is fashioned with a series of spaced slots 3| that extend transversely of the curve of the guard and therefore transversely of the axial plane or longitudinal axis of the rotary cutter. These slots 3l have sharp edges to their walls similar to the sharp edges of the wall of the spiral or curved wall in the rotary tubularv cutter, and the cutter rotates in such manner that its shearing wall passes the shearing walls or edges of the lface plate or guard at an angle that will result in a shearing cut of the hairs of a beard.

The slotted guard-portion of the face-plate is used to massage the bearded face and the hairs of the beard are thus caused to project through the slots 3l of the guard, into position so that they may be nipped by the rotary cutter, due to the action of the spiral or longitudinally curved cutting edge of the latter.

The shavings or debris from the cutting edges is passed to the interior of the tubular, open-end rotary cutter, and should any of the debris collect within the cutter, this residue may be blown, as by the breath, from the interior of the cutter, or a cylindrical brush of proper size may be passed back and forth through the tubular cutter to dislodge the hairs and brush them from the interior of the cutter; For a more thorough cleansing of the instrument, the face plate may be detached from the recessed head, and the`slotted guard portion cleaned with a brush. I'he rotary cutter may also be dropped out of the recessed-head and its slot or groove cleansed with a brush, and the semi-circular wall of the recess I9 should also be kept clean, to insure a free rotation of the rotary cutter after it has been restored to working position and the face plate has been replaced.

As an auxiliary feature of the shaver I employ an electric illuminating `lamp 32 mounted in a hood 33 in the upper face of the head 2, just back lof the face-plate, so that the lamp may illumine the face of the person using the instruv ment while shaving. 'I'he lamp, by a suitable connection at 34, receives current from the same source of supply as the electric motor which pperates the rotary cutter.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor-operated shaving instrument, the combination with a semi-cylindrical recessed head having an edge retaining ange at each end, oppositely projecting pins on its upper and lower faces, a face plate having spaced ends and perforated to engage said pins, said face plate comprising a curved slotted front forming with the recessed head a cylindrical working chamber, and said slotted front portion also having edge retaining flanges at its ends, of a rotary cutter mounted in the working chamber between the headanges and -the flanges of the slotted front portion of the face plate.

2. In a motor operated shaving instrument, the combination with a semi-cylindrical recessed head having an end retaining flange at each end,

a face-plate and detachable means for fastening a spirally slotted open end rotary cutter mounted l in the working chamber, a rigid open center bearing head at each end of the cutter, each said bearing head having an outer annular flange at its outer edge, inner retaining flanges at the opposite ends of the slotted guard, said head retaining-flanges and guard retaining-flanges engaging the outer flanged ends of the bearing heads,

and one of said bearing heads having a driven member thereon.

HARRY W. SHRYDCK. 

